Dining Plan: Doing the Math

[harryk]

And just think about this thread. It all started on the top of page 1 when the question asked was:
"With the dining plan, it zeros out your receipts so you cannot see the item's actual charge, am I right? Or does the price reflect on them? Does it say the actual items on there or just dinner, lunch, snack, etc.. ?

My friend won't get off my case about how the dining plan isn't worth it, blah blah blah, and I know to each their own. I know there are multiple threads about if the dining plan is worth it or not, BUT I want to show her the math of my own trip when I return."
Did he get his question answered?

 

[22YrsDVC]

What a great idea!!!

Thanks, harryk! Ears off to you too!

 

[networkpro]

For my family it doesnt make any sense at all for "inclusive dining", I wont call it free as at minimum its rack rate which with the usual room discounts its a wash at best more expensive at worst.

Makes sense if you want to have an eating vacation, but you'll miss out on lots of other stuff.

 

[MickeyMomV]

And just think about this thread. It all started on the top of page 1 when the question asked was:
"With the dining plan, it zeros out your receipts so you cannot see the item's actual charge, am I right? Or does the price reflect on them? Does it say the actual items on there or just dinner, lunch, snack, etc.. ?

My friend won't get off my case about how the dining plan isn't worth it, blah blah blah, and I know to each their own. I know there are multiple threads about if the dining plan is worth it or not, BUT I want to show her the math of my own trip when I return."
Did he get his question answered?

The first bill you get has the amounts on it. The need to get you a total to base your tip on. Your final bill is clear of any itemized totals.

 

[Goofyque']

Here is what to remember. Sticker shock is a real thing. While on the DDP, you may not eat the way you usually do. That also holds true if you are not on the DDP. You may order the cheapest thing on the menu, because what you really want is shockingly high when you are paying OOP. You may not get a dessert OOP, but if I'm at Y&Y, there is no way I'm going to miss the Won tons or Mango pie. The final receipt you get on DDP does not usually have the prices on it. Snap a picture of the first receipt they bring you. We always say we may be able to eat cheaper OOP, but we never eat as well as on the DDP.

 

[Weather_Lady]

I passed on the recent free dining plan offer. Not because the math of the meals did not add up, but because of two other factors. I had to pay full price for my room, and I had to purchase a park hopper, which I did not want. In the end, My discounted room, my cheaper park ticket, and my out of pocket meals is definitely cheaper than that "Free Dining Plan", which is not free at all.

Good point. "Free" dining is a misnomer in most cases. If I may offer up my family's experience as a further illustration:

- We were planning to visit WDW 11/14-11/21, staying at CBR in a standard room with standard (non-hopper) tickets. "Free dining" came out for arrivals beginning 11/15, but only for packages at CBR with preferred rooms and parkhoppers, and we couldn't change our dates because our flights were already booked. So:
- We changed our reservation to a room-only on 11/14, followed by a second reservation for 6 nights with 8-day parkhopper tickets, in order to be eligible for "free dining."

Our costs to get "free dining":
ORIGINAL BUDGET (3 adults, 1 10+ child, 1 child under 10): $3,300 room/tix, + $2,225 for out-of-pocket food costs and gratuities based on our ADRs, including 7 TS meals, 1 of which would cost 2 credits on the DDP, 6 CS meals and 1 snack per person, per day
GRAND TOTAL, WITH FOOD OUT-OF-POCKET: $5,525

"FREE DINING" (same people, upgrading to preferred room, upgrading to parkhopper tickets and incorporating an across-the-board hike in ticket prices since our initial booking, all of the same ADRs, and "free" dining"): $4,215...BUT we have to add in the cost of supplemental food for 2 the two cheapest TS meals we were planning to have which won't be covered by the DDP ($300), TS gratuities ($300) AND the cost of that extra 1-night preferred room reservation ($260).
GRAND TOTAL WITH FREE DINING: $5,075

Conclusion: Yes, in the long run, "free" dining (with a 2016 sticker price of $1,880 for 7 nights/4 adults/1 child) saved us about $500 for a party of five over a 7-night WDW visit, but it's nothing like "free" -- it ends up being the equivalent of a measly 25% discount on the DDP, given the changes we had to make to be eligible and the fact that our arrival night isn't covered. (Granted, these changes -- a preferred room location and parkhoppers -- are things that we will use and enjoy, so they do add value to our vacation package, even if we wouldn't ordinarily find them worth springing for.) Had fewer nights of our stay been covered or had we been planning on more than 1 2-credit TS meal, a room discount would easily have become a more economical offer than "free" dining.

 

[JFP]

Another point to mention is that alcohol and tips are not included. My wife and I enjoy a adult beverage at dinner and we tip the standard 15-20%. Add those onto the meal plan and the cost just isn't worth it for our family

 

[BAChicagoGal]

Weather_Lady. I am so glad that the math worked out for you. It has never done that for me, unfortunately, or I might have jumped at the offer. I am a compulsive planner. Mostly, I travel solo. However, throw a few more people in the mix, and perhaps thing shake out a bit differently.

 

[Weather_Lady]

Weather_Lady. I am so glad that the math worked out for you. It has never done that for me, unfortunately, or I might have jumped at the offer. I am a compulsive planner. Mostly, I travel solo. However, throw a few more people in the mix, and perhaps thing shake out a bit differently.

TRUE! Adding people to the room costs little or nothing. But FEEDING them at WDW prices (especially when you have a child who just turned 10)... yikes!

 

[MickeyMomV]

.

Another point to mention is that alcohol and tips are not included. My wife and I enjoy a adult beverage at dinner and we tip the standard 15-20%. Add those onto the meal plan and the cost just isn't worth it for our family

You would pay extra for those items whether or not you are on the plan. This only effects the calculations if you don't get the non-alcoholic beverage. Majority of the time when we go out I will start with the adult beverage and finish with something else to help balance it. Local places near home will usually give the non-alcoholic beverage for free if you started with beer or wine but I don't think WDW does that.

 

[JFP]

I 100% agree and I understand it's not in the calculations. There are a lot of people that interpret the Dining plans to be all inclusive. Granted, a lot of these folks also thing fast pass is something you pay for. I guess what I meant was that even after you pay for a dining plan, there is still a considerable out of pocket expense that needs to be factored in for "dining." If you tip 20% on a meal and you're ordering the most expensive items to get the biggest bang, you could be looking at spending $10-$? per meal just in tips........but to each their own. I just can't make the numbers work for our family

 

[danyoung56]

Well, we may never agree on whether the dining plan is worth it or not. But maybe we can all agree that the sweet thing you eat at the end of a meal is a dessert. A large, hot area of land with a lot of sand is a desert.

 

[ed_66503]

I did some heavy duty calculating for our upcoming trip for just my daughter and I. Typically we get the regular or deluxe plan. The deluxe plan is an enormous amount of food.
After figuring our meals for the week (one QS, one TS plus tips, and two snacks per day),I determined that we would save approximately $343 by paying out of pocket.

 

[King Racoon 77]

Well, we may never agree on whether the dining plan is worth it or not. But maybe we can all agree that the sweet thing you eat at the end of a meal is a dessert. A large, hot area of land with a lot of sand is a desert.

Easier just to call it pudding

 

[danyoung56]

Now that's funny!

 

[prfctlyximprct]

Wow I forgot about this thread haha

 

[Ciara]

I think it really comes down to your vacation... I like that when i have the dining plan i don't worry about what i order. Soda? okay! Milshake? okay! Desert? yes please! But if i went without it i would definitely pay more attention to prices, just order water, ect. Sure id save money but i don't feel i would enjoy it all as much! We have always had the dining plan when going to WDW (since we go when its free) But when we go to Disneyland that will be a different story. Its a full on budget trip. Off site hotel, Discount tickets, ordering water and no desert It will be fun to compare the two!